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| In 45 years, only 32 kms of Marwah road constructed: JK Govt tells HC | | |  ASIF IQBAL NAIK
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Jan 31: The Government of Jammu and Kashmir told the Jammu and Kashmir High Court that only 32 kms road stretch out of sanctioned 85 kms for Marwah Sub-Divisional Headquarter Nawapachi has been completed in last 45 years. While the construction on remaining 53 kms is still under construction and has got stuck due to various reasons including forest clearance in area falling under jurisdiction of Dachhan Tehsil, the government added. The government provided this information in response to the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a political and social activist from Marwah Ghulam Rasool Magrey through Advocate Faheem Shokat Butt.
As per the details available with Early Times, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Sanjeev Verma in an affidavit filed before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in the month of November 2020 through Senior Additional Advocate General SS Nanda in Point No 3 of the affidavit informed the court that Sub Division Marwah is without road connectivity and the work on execution of Banderkoot-Nawapachi has been started by the R&B Department in the year 1974-75.
Banderkoot-Nawapachi road has a total length of 85 kms, currently the road is completed upto 32 kms.
“Work on km 32 to 54 stretch is undertaken by the PMGSY, Ikhala Block Boundary Lopara Part I, for rest of the stretches (Ikhala Block Boundary to Lopara 11-13 Km) and Nawapachi to Dherna upto Hanzal 18 KM) forest clearance is awaited” read the government response filed in High Court by the Divisional Commissioner Jammu adding that “As such, 31 kms of the sanctioned and allotted road is withheld for want of forest clearance under PMGSY.
Astonishingly, successive government in last 45 years had failed to give forest clearance to Marwah road including by the governments since last over 15 years when PMGSY was introduced by the Government of India.
Surprisingly, the government also admitted that it had failed to construct any accommodation for the people who travel by foot to Marwah.
The government also told the court that besides, there are two seasonal (May-Oct) alternative roads to Sub Division HQ Marwah.
The callousness of the government to improve basic infrastructure in far-flung Marwah could be gauged from the fact that though it created special Sub Division Marwah but a junior most AE has been assigned the charge of Executive Engineer who is not even eligible to hold the post of the AEE.
Even though the government last year posted full-fledged Executive Engineer for special Sub Division Marwah, but the influential blue eyed officer who is posted in the area since 30 long years managed to get the charge of Executive Engineer in violation of all rules and regulations.
Now it is to be seen that how the Jammu and Kashmir High Court reacts to the affidavit filed by the government that admits several failures while delivering services to the inhabitants of the poor people of Marwah Sub Division having population of around 35000. |
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